On Thursday The Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as the Bahamas, prepared for possible hits from massive and fatal Hurricane Irma since the governor of Florida informed about it in order his state’s residents to be ready to take a shelter.
A Category 5 storm Irma roiling in the Atlantic with 175 mph sustained winds. It killed 6 people a day and left many customers without power in Puerto Rico.
On Thursday news conference Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned that the storm has a potential to reach South Florida by Sunday: “Regardless of which (Florida) coast you live on, be prepared to evacuate.”
Compulsory evacuations were issued for the Keys and for some parts of Miami-Date and Broward counties. According to Scott others in Florida need to watch the path of Irma. They should be ready for evacuation at any time.
Scott also added “”This is not a storm you can sit and wait through. In addition, you don’t have to drive hundreds of miles or leave the state to be safe. Go to shelters.”
Georgia is ordering coastal evacuations as well. Gov. Nathan Deal told that people who live near Interstate 95, including Savannah, St. Simons and Brunswick are ordered to leave the area since Saturday.
Irma was still battering the northern parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic Thursday afternoon. It might leave up to 15 inches of rain there. National Hurricane Center said that it’s an amount that could cause serious flooding and earthquakes.
It could leave up to 15 inches of rain there — amounts that could cause dangerous flooding and mudslides, the National Hurricane Center said.
Recent Developments on Hurricane Irma:
- Around 11 a.m. ET, the center of Irma was about 75 miles east-northeast of Punta Cana. But previously Irma had winds over 180 mph, keeping those speeds longer than any storm ever recorded in Atlantic basin.
- Hurricane cautions are in effect for some parts of the Dominican Republic including Haiti, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the southeastern, central and northwestern Bahamas.
- The governor of Florida, Scott announced on Thursday that he has sent state law enforcement to escort gas trucks to gas stations in an effort to handle reported fuel scarcities. Scott said: “”We know fuel is very important” as people prepare to evacuate inland, he said, “While we’re making progress, you will see lines and outages, unfortunately.”
- Irma is one of the most active hurricanes in Atlantic basin: the last time such a serious hurricane happened in 2010.
Will Irma Hurricane hit Florida, Southeastern United States?
Some computer models indicate that by Sunday Irma could roil near the southern and eastern coasts of Florida, including Jacksonville. Therefore officials are closing some schools. Winds from the center of Irma extended up to 185 miles from 39mph. Many inhabitants of Florida spent Thursday stocking up on food or scheduled to leave inland.
